​​Roots & Wings Classes - Spring 2021

Roots & Wings is a farm-based drop off program for children between the ages of 5 and 13.
The classes are currently capped at twelve children and there will be a professional lead teacher and a teacher's assistant in each class.  

Sanitation and social distancing will be practiced and masks are required.

Students must enrolled for a programmatic block, which are currently eight weeks from April through May, 2021. Tuition is $200 per child per class. There is a $50 non-refundable registration fee per family.  The registration website link is here.

​The following is our spring 2021 schedule, please note the ages for each class:

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-	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
10 to 11:30	​​Springtime at the Farm ​(5-6 year olds)	The Science of Movement ​(8+ year olds)	Farm and Forest ​(9+ year olds)	Forest Friends (5-6 year olds)
1:00 to 2:30	Math Lab (10+)	Handcrafting ​(5-6 year olds)	Farm & Forest Friends ​(7-9 year olds)	Social Responsibilities (9+ year olds)
3:00 to 4:30	​Springtime at the Farm ​(5-6 year olds)	Handcrafts ​(7+ year olds)	Fine Art (8+ year olds)	​Springtime at the Farm ​(5-6 year olds)

Springtime at the Farm (5&6 year olds) - We will explore changes going on at the farm as winter turns to spring! Themes will include planting, nests, vernal pools, bees, chicken care and more. This class is taught by Chelsea Clark.

Forest Friends (5&6 year olds) - This class will explore topics within the Exploring Nature with Children curriculum including a tree study, wildflowers and various insects. Each class will include a nature walk, poem, and piece of artwork to enjoy, honoring a wide range of experiential learning opportunities. This class is taught by Chelsea Clark.

Science of Movement (8+ year olds) - In this class we will be exploring, through movement, the wonderful machine that our body is. We will discover how movement happens and why, by looking at the connections and interactions between the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems. We will explore potential & kinetic energies, center of gravity and sound in order to connect our own moving experience to the world of physics. WE will work with music, rhythm, yoga poses, strengthening exercises and stretches to limber our body as we learn. This class is taught by Cecilia Ituarte.

Farm & Forest (7-9yrs and 9+yrs) - This spring's Farm and Forest class will focus on plant ID, foraging and old ways knowledge. Each we will learn about a different plant family - mint, parsley, mustard, pea, grass, aster, lily and fruits and roses. We will look for those plants around Freetown Farm and also intentionally make sure they are all represented in the Roots & Wings children's garden, planting seeds where needed. Each child in this class will have their own container garden within the children's garden that they will plant and care for. We will also work together to continue to enhance the children's garden, including planting a pumpkin patch! Children in the 9+ class will learn skills such as fire starting and knot tying. Children in the younger class will enjoy crafts related to what we are learning. For children that participated in this class in the fall, this spring class will offer the change to deepen their knowledge, see the plants in a very different stage of growth (spring flowers!), and really get their hands dirty in the children's garden. This class is taught by Chiara.

Hand Crafting (5-6yrs and 7+) - Students will use their hands as their main art tools in order to complete the following projects for this semester: tin lanterns, wool dyeing, hand weaving (with the dyed wool) and creating a bowl & spoon out of clay! Learning how to make handmade items is a beautiful way to build knowledge about the process and skill of craftsmanship. This class is taught by Shiren Tehrani. 

Fine Art (8+) - Artists will explore using different mediums to develop confidence in establishing themselves as individual artists, by applying their own interpretation and vision to the projects. This semester students will learn how to create an optical illusion, create mixed media bird's nests, design alcohol ink cards for Mother's Day and use Andy Warhol's artwork as an inspiration for a 4 part creation. This class is taught by Shiren Tehrani. 

Math Lab (10+) - In this class we will focus on 4 topics for 2 weeks each. The classes will consist of instruction, discussion, hands on activities and a culminating project on the second class of each topic. Students will experience the fun side of math in a playful, experiential way that will aim to expand their worldview of what math is and how it can be used in creative ways. The topics this semester are: Game Theory (weeks 1-2), Parabolas (weeks 3-4), Fractals (weeks 5-6) and Eulerian Circuits (weeks 7-8)! This class is taught by Lindsay Kreisher. 

Social Responsibility & Conflict Resolution (9+) - In this class, children will be guided through discussions and activities to widen their worldview, gain self awareness, and have the chance to look at conflict as an opportunity for healing and change. This class will address topics surrounding how we can grow to be our best selves: work in communication, forgiveness, empathy, compassion, and problem solving will be incorporated into classes. As we move through this process, we will be applying these skills to discussions and asking some of the harder questions: "what is a first harm?", "who is responsible for healing first harms?", "is it even possible to fix something if it happened long ago?", "if I didn't cause the harm, why should I act?". Children will have hands-on experiences and complete small projects/activities in order to make connections and ground themselves in the content. The class will culminate with a final project of the children's choosing. This class is taught by Lindsay Kreisher.